TV notes.

Cable Industry's Success Kills Cableace Awards

After a run of 19 years, the annual CableACE Awards are being dropped -- done in by cable's success.

The show has become obsolete over the last few years as cable programs, especially HBO's, were accepted into the Emmy Awards competition and increasingly thrived there.

"We created the Ace Awards two decades ago, at the infancy of the industry, and at a time when we were insecure and felt we would never get the recognition," said John Hendricks, chairman of the National Academy of Cable programming, which oversees the awards. "We have come such a long way."

Members of the NCTA met Tuesday in New York and voted overwhelmingly to cancel the ACEs, he said.

As cable's role in the Emmys has increased, the CableACEs have taken a back seat. "Nobody ever thought it was produced well," said one cable insider. "Nobody is weeping."

According to Hendricks, the board members who voted for the change decided it was time for the cable industry to focus its energy on the awards that recognize all of TV, not just cable.

He said the economics of the awards -- networks pay to enter, promote and attend the show -- was not part of the discussion. "We had always run the show on a break-even basis," he said.